US8305522B2 - Plasma display panel and display device - Google Patents

Plasma display panel and display device Download PDF

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US8305522B2
US8305522B2 US13/505,266 US201113505266A US8305522B2 US 8305522 B2 US8305522 B2 US 8305522B2 US 201113505266 A US201113505266 A US 201113505266A US 8305522 B2 US8305522 B2 US 8305522B2
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discharge
voltage
sustain
electrodes
scan
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US20120212464A1 (en
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Kiyoshi Hashimotodani
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Panasonic Corp
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J11/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with alternating current induction of the discharge, e.g. alternating current plasma display panels [AC-PDP]; Gas-filled discharge tubes without any main electrode inside the vessel; Gas-filled discharge tubes with at least one main electrode outside the vessel
    • H01J11/10—AC-PDPs with at least one main electrode being out of contact with the plasma
    • H01J11/12—AC-PDPs with at least one main electrode being out of contact with the plasma with main electrodes provided on both sides of the discharge space
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J11/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with alternating current induction of the discharge, e.g. alternating current plasma display panels [AC-PDP]; Gas-filled discharge tubes without any main electrode inside the vessel; Gas-filled discharge tubes with at least one main electrode outside the vessel
    • H01J11/20—Constructional details
    • H01J11/50—Filling, e.g. selection of gas mixture
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/20—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
    • G09G3/22—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources
    • G09G3/28—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J11/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with alternating current induction of the discharge, e.g. alternating current plasma display panels [AC-PDP]; Gas-filled discharge tubes without any main electrode inside the vessel; Gas-filled discharge tubes with at least one main electrode outside the vessel
    • H01J11/20—Constructional details
    • H01J11/34—Vessels, containers or parts thereof, e.g. substrates
    • H01J11/36—Spacers, barriers, ribs, partitions or the like

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to plasma display panels and to display devices that use plasma display panels, and in particular to high-definition plasma display panels.
  • a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as a PDP), which achieves luminescent display by causing plasma discharge to occur in minute cells corresponding to pixels and converting the emitted ultraviolet radiation into visible light via phosphors.
  • AC surface discharge In a PDP, the most common method currently used to cause a plasma discharge in the cells is a method referred to as AC surface discharge.
  • barrier walls referred to as ribs are provided between two glass substrates (a front substrate and a back substrate) to establish a gap of a fixed distance, so that a discharge space enclosed by the two glass substrates is formed in this gap.
  • a discharge gas is injected into the discharge space, and rows of parallel electrode pairs are formed on the surface of the front substrate facing the discharge space, each electrode pair being formed by a scan electrode and a sustain electrode.
  • an insulating layer is formed on the electrode pairs.
  • Data electrodes are provided on the back substrate in a position perpendicular to the electrodes on the front substrate. The data electrodes are covered by an insulating layer.
  • PDPs emit ultraviolet light using xenon, which has a relatively high ionization and excitation voltage. Therefore, the power efficiency of conversion of input power into useful ultraviolet light is an extremely low value of 10% or less. Accordingly, efforts have been made to increase the luminous efficiency of PDPs. As described in Patent Literature 1 and 2, the composition of the discharge gas has been examined.
  • Patent Literature 1 discloses increasing the partial pressure of xenon in the discharge gas while increasing the overall pressure of the discharge gas. This is an attempt to improve the ultraviolet light source not by increasing the resonant radiation (wavelength of 147 nm) from excited xenon atoms, but rather by using light over a broad spectrum focusing on 172 nm radiation from xenon excimers.
  • An excimer is formed by a three-body reaction between an excited xenon atom and xenon atoms in the ground state, as in the following formula. Xe*+Xe+Xe ⁇ Xe 2*+Xe Formula 1 Therefore, as the xenon partial pressure increases, the probability of formation rapidly increases. Furthermore, since xenon in the ground state has a repulsive potential, the excimer rapidly dissociates into single atoms without the occurrence of self-absorption. A high luminous efficiency is thus obtained even at high gas pressure.
  • Patent Literature 1 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-83543
  • Patent Literature 2 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-249227
  • one effective way of increasing luminous efficiency in PDPs is to increase the partial pressure of xenon.
  • discharge electrodes are covered by a dielectric layer and a protective layer on the surface of the dielectric layer. Provision of the discharge current depends on the process of secondary electron emission due to ions penetrating the protective layer surface. Since xenon has a low ionization potential as compared to neon, xenon also has a comparatively low secondary electron emission coefficient.
  • a rise in the discharge voltage causes increased ion bombardment of the protective layer by ions of the buffer gas (in many cases, neon) that is mixed with the xenon.
  • the buffer gas in many cases, neon
  • service life may even worsen due to damage of the protective layer by sputtering.
  • the upper limit on the partial pressure of xenon in the discharge gas is approximately 25%.
  • the present invention has been conceived in light of the above problems, and it is an object thereof to improve luminous efficiency in an ultra-high-definition PDP that has minute cells while keeping discharge voltage low and maintaining the service life of the PDP.
  • the present invention is a plasma display panel having a pair of opposing substrates with a gap therebetween, the gap being partitioned by ribs into a plurality of discharge cells, a pair of discharge electrodes being provided on a surface of one of the pair of opposing substrates, the surface facing the gap, and a discharge gas being enclosed in each discharge cell, wherein a minimum width of a discharge space in each discharge cell is in a range from 65 ⁇ m to 100 ⁇ m at a position adjacent to the pair of discharge electrodes, primary components of the discharge gas are xenon, neon, and helium, and in the discharge gas, a partial pressure ratio of xenon is in a range from 15% to 25%, a partial pressure ratio of helium is in a range from 20% to 50%, and total pressure is in a range from 60 kPa to 70 kPa.
  • the “minimum width of a discharge space in the discharge cell . . . at a position adjacent to the pair of discharge electrodes” refers to the minimum value of the width of the discharge space along the surface of the substrate on which the pair of discharge electrodes is provided.
  • a display device is provided with the above PDP and a drive circuit that drives the PDP.
  • the driving circuit groups a plurality of pairs of discharge electrodes into a plurality of display electrode pair groups, divides, for each display electrode pair group, one field period into a plurality of subfields, each subfield including a writing period in which a writing discharge is generated in one of the discharge cells and a sustain period in which a sustain discharge is generated in the one of the discharge cells, and sets a time of the sustain period in each subfield of each display electrode pair group to be at most Tw ⁇ (N ⁇ 1)/N, where N is a number of display electrode pair groups, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, and Tw is a time necessary for performing one writing operation in all of the discharge cells in the plasma display panel.
  • the present invention maintains the service life of the PDP by using xenon, neon, and helium as the primary components of the discharge gas, with the partial pressure ratio of xenon being set to 25% or less.
  • the partial pressure ratio of helium is set to be between 20% and 50%, and the total pressure is set to be between 60 kPa and 70 kPa, which suppresses a rise in discharge voltage while obtaining high luminous efficiency.
  • the display device achieves high emission luminance in a high-definition PDP since the drive circuit drives the PDP by the above method. Accordingly, the display device displays images in high-definition, and with high luminous efficiency and brightness.
  • the width of the discharge cell varies depending on the location of measurement.
  • the reason for setting the “minimum width of a discharge space in the discharge cell . . . at a position adjacent to the pair of discharge electrodes” is that among different widths of the discharge cell, the minimum width measured near the pair of discharge electrodes has the greatest effect on luminous efficiency.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective sectional view showing the structure of a PDP according to Embodiment 1.
  • FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross section of the PDP.
  • FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between total pressure of the discharge gas and luminous efficiency in experimental PDPs.
  • FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the partial pressure ratio of helium and luminous efficiency in experimental PDPs.
  • FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between total pressure of the discharge gas and self-sustaining discharge voltage in experimental PDPs.
  • FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between total pressure of the discharge gas and relative efficiency for various partial pressure ratios of helium and discharge space widths in experimental PDPs.
  • FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between discharge space width and relative efficiency for various partial pressure ratios of helium in experimental PDPs.
  • FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between total pressure and self-sustaining discharge voltage for various partial pressure ratios of helium and discharge space widths in experimental PDPs.
  • FIG. 9 is a perspective sectional view of a PDP according to Embodiment 2.
  • FIG. 10 shows an arrangement of electrodes in the PDP.
  • FIG. 11 describes a method of setting the structure of subfields for driving the PDP.
  • FIG. 12 shows a waveform of driving voltage applied to each electrode of the PDP.
  • FIG. 13 is a circuit block diagram of a display device according to Embodiment 2.
  • FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram of a scan electrode driving circuit in the PDP device.
  • FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram of a sustain electrode driving circuit in the PDP device.
  • FIG. 16 is a view showing electrode layout in the panel of another PDP device according to Embodiment 2.
  • FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of a scan electrode driving circuit in the PDP device.
  • FIG. 18 is a view showing electrode layout in the panel of another PDP device according to Embodiment 2.
  • FIG. 19 is a circuit diagram of a scan electrode driving circuit in the PDP device.
  • FIG. 20 is a circuit diagram of a sustain electrode driving circuit in the PDP device.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an AC-type PDP 100 according to Embodiment 1.
  • the PDP 100 has a front substrate 1 and a back substrate 2 , which are flat plate substrates formed from soda lime glass. Between the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 2 , a low-melting-point glass paste is cast and sintered to form ribs 3 in a grid pattern. The ribs 3 define spaces enclosed by the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 2 . These spaces form discharge cells 11 that are roughly rectangular parallelepipeds.
  • each discharge cell 11 is a pitch L (lateral pitch) in the longitudinal direction of the ribs 3 of 95 ⁇ m, and a pitch (longitudinal pitch) in the lateral direction of the ribs 3 of 275 ⁇ m. These dimensions are to satisfy the next generation of high-vision standards (4k2k) for a 50 inch diagonal screen with 4096 ⁇ 2060 pixels.
  • the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 2 may be formed from another translucent material, such as a high melting point glass like borosilicate glass. Furthermore, using a photoreceptive paste as the material for the ribs 3 improves accuracy in the shape of the ribs 3 .
  • Each discharge electrode 4 is composed of an electrode Sus and an electrode Scn that extend laterally.
  • the electrodes Sus and electrodes Scn are formed from a transparent conductive material such as ITO.
  • silver is laminated on a portion of the electrodes Sus and Scn.
  • a dielectric layer 5 of silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) is formed so as to cover the sustain electrodes Sus and the scan electrodes Scn.
  • the dielectric layer 5 is further covered by a protective layer 6 , which is a vapor-deposited film of magnesium oxide.
  • the dielectric layer 5 functions as a charge barrier with respect to the discharge current.
  • the protective layer 6 both protects the dielectric layer 5 from sputtering due to charge bombardment from the discharge plasma and contributes to lowering the discharge voltage by providing secondary electrons during discharge.
  • the discharge electrode pairs 4 may dispense with the ITO from the perspective of reducing costs, or another transparent conductive material may be used, such as a ZnO or SnO 2 based material.
  • stripes of data electrodes 7 correspond to the discharge cells 11 are vapor deposited longitudinally, perpendicular to the discharge electrode pairs 4 . All of the discharge cells 11 are located at the intersection of a discharge electrode pair 4 along the front substrate 1 and a data electrode 7 along the back substrate 2 .
  • the back substrate 2 and the data electrodes 7 are covered by a base dielectric layer 8 .
  • a phosphor layer 9 is formed on each inner surface of the discharge cells 11 , except for the surface of the front substrate 1 .
  • the phosphor layer 9 emits visible light due to excitation by ultraviolet light emitted by the xenon and other atoms during discharge.
  • the discharge cells 11 form pixels in accordance with the color of light emitted by the phosphor layer 9 formed on the inner walls of the discharge cells 11 .
  • Each pixel is a combination of three primary color cells: a red discharge cell 11 R, a green discharge cell 11 G, and a blue discharge cell 11 B.
  • a discharge gas is injected into the discharge spaces partitioned by the ribs 3 between the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 2 .
  • the discharge gas is composed of xenon, neon, and helium. Further details on the composition of the discharge gas are provided below.
  • the method of driving the PDP 100 is as follows. One field is divided into a plurality of subfields. In each subfield, voltage is applied to the scan electrode Scn and the data electrode 7 to write to the discharge cells. After writing to all of the discharge cells in the panel, a predetermined alternating square-wave voltage pulse is applied between all of the sustain electrodes Sus and scan electrodes Scn.
  • a wall charge builds up on the surface of the protective layer 6 covering the discharge electrode pairs 4 .
  • the wall charge has the reverse polarity of the potential of the electrodes.
  • the electric field created by the accumulated wall charge offsets the electric field due to the voltage applied to the electrodes.
  • the electric field that contributes to discharge in the discharge cells 11 thus effectively ceases to exist, and discharge stops.
  • the sustain electrodes Sus switch to momentarily functioning as anodes, and the scan electrodes Scn to momentarily functioning as cathodes.
  • the electric field created by the wall charge that accumulated during the previous discharge has the same polarity as the potential of the electrodes and thus overlaps with the applied voltage.
  • a voltage corresponding to (applied voltage+voltage due to wall charge) is present within the discharge cell 11 .
  • the actual voltage that needs to be applied to the discharge cell 11 to sustain discharge decreases. This also allows for ON/OFF control of discharge cells 11 with few signals by using the data electrodes 7 to perform a pixel selection operation via an address discharge.
  • FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the PDP 100 in FIG. 1 when cut laterally.
  • FIG. 2 corresponds to one cell.
  • the width D (gap between inner walls of laterally adjacent ribs 3 ) directly below the discharge electrode pair 4 is set in a range between 65 ⁇ m and 100 ⁇ m.
  • the discharge space in each discharge cell is shaped so that the width is smaller than the length of the discharge space in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the width is smaller than the height of the discharge space.
  • the width D of the discharge space is the minimum width of the discharge space.
  • the size of the width D greatly affects the discharge voltage.
  • a surface discharge PDP such as the PDP 100
  • the discharge path in the discharge cells 11 is biased towards the front substrate 1 and is produced in a direction parallel to the discharge electrode pair 4 (i.e. in the direction of the width D). Therefore, as compared to the effect on the discharge voltage of the dimensions of the width D, the effect on the discharge voltage of the dimensions of the depth is relatively small.
  • An example of a preferable setting is for the width d at the top of each of the ribs 3 that extend longitudinally to be 20 ⁇ m with a pitch of 95 ⁇ m.
  • the gap width D between ribs 3 that are adjacent in the lateral direction is 75 ⁇ m.
  • the partial pressure ratio of xenon is preferably in a range from 15% to 25%, and the partial pressure ratio of helium is preferably in a range from 20% to 50%.
  • the total pressure of the discharge gas is preferably between 60 kPa and 70 kPa.
  • a preferable example of the discharge gas includes xenon, helium, and neon with respective partial pressure ratios of 20%, 40%, and 40%, with a total pressure for the discharge gas of 60 kPa.
  • each discharge cell 11 corresponds to one pixel of the screen (more accurately, to display of one color in a pixel). Therefore, as a discharge light emitter, the discharge cell 11 is extremely small. The distance between the electrodes that provoke the discharge (the sustain electrode Sus and the scan electrode Scn) is therefore extremely small. Based on the well-known relationship between the breakdown voltage and the product of the electrode distance and gas pressure during discharge (Paschen's law), the gas pressure inevitably has to rise in order to reduce the discharge voltage. Typically, gas pressure is on the order of 10 2 kPa. In this pressure region, excited xenon atoms have a high probability of forming excimer due to the process of three-body collision with other atoms. Xe*+Xe+M ⁇ Xe 2*+M Formula 2 In this formula, M is a xenon atom in the ground state, or a ground state atom of another gas included in the discharge gas, such as neon or argon.
  • the excimer Xe 2 * that forms in this way highly efficiently emits ultraviolet light over a broad region, with a peak near 172 nm. After emitting ultraviolet radiation, the Xe 2 at a lower energy state has a repulsive potential and is therefore unstable, rapidly dissociating into two xenon atoms. Accordingly, loss of ultraviolet light due to self-absorption, as observed in resonance emission lines, does not occur.
  • Xenon atoms however, have an extremely low secondary electron emission coefficient with respect to magnesium oxide, the typical material for the protective layer. Therefore, as the partial pressure of xenon increases, the discharge voltage increases.
  • a rare gas with a low atomic mass number such as neon, is typically added to an AC-type PDP, since such a rare gas has a relatively high secondary electron emission coefficient with respect to magnesium oxide.
  • AC-type PDPs for ultra-high-definition display devices with a minute cell size have an intrinsic tendency towards reduced luminous efficiency.
  • attempts have been made to improve luminous efficiency by setting the partial pressure of xenon high when designing the discharge gas.
  • the present invention adopts a different approach than such conventional technology. It was discovered that setting the partial pressure of xenon in a range from 15% to 25%, the partial pressure of helium in a range from 20% to 50%, and the total pressure of the discharge gas between 60 kPa and 70 kPa allows for highly efficient luminous display.
  • Samples of a discharge gas were prepared by adding helium to a gas including a mixture of xenon and neon.
  • the partial pressure ratio of xenon was kept constant at 20%, whereas the partial pressure ratio of helium was varied in a range from 0% to 50%.
  • the prepared discharge gas samples were injected into panels to create experiment panels.
  • the total pressure of injected discharge gas was varied in a range from 30 kPa to 70 kPa.
  • luminous efficiency (lm/W) was calculated by seeking the power consumption of each experiment panel when turned ON, based on the sustain voltage and the panel discharge current, and dividing the total luminous flux by this power consumption.
  • the panel discharge current was the total current flowing when the panel was ON, minus the charging current flowing to capacitance components, such as the discharge electrode pair 4 , when the panel was OFF.
  • FIGS. 3 to 5 show the results of measurement.
  • the total pressure of the mixed gas is plotted on the horizontal axis, and luminous efficiency is plotted on the vertical axis.
  • the partial pressure of helium is plotted on the horizontal axis and luminous efficiency is plotted on the vertical axis for total pressures of 50 kPa, 60 kPa, and 70 kPa.
  • total pressures of 60 kPa and 70 kPa an increase in efficiency is observed when adding between 20% and 50% helium.
  • a peak in efficiency is observed in a range of 30% to 40% for the partial pressure ratio of helium.
  • total pressure is plotted on the horizontal axis
  • self-sustaining discharge voltage is plotted on the vertical axis for each partial pressure ratio of helium.
  • the self-sustaining discharge voltage with respect to total pressure forms a curve, similar to Paschen's law, having a local minimum. As the partial pressure of helium rises, however, this local minimum becomes shallower. At a partial pressure of helium of 40% or greater, the self-sustaining discharge voltage undergoes a nearly level decrease as the total pressure rises over 50 kPa.
  • the present experiments were performed with a partial pressure ratio of xenon of 20% within the discharge gas. The same results were also achieved by performing a similar experiment with the partial pressure ratio of xenon in a range from 15% to 25%.
  • the former dimensions approximately correspond to the cell size for a 42 inch full-high-vision panel, which has already been released on the market by various companies and is becoming the standard for home digital television.
  • the later dimensions correspond to cell size in a 37 inch full-high-vision panel.
  • FIG. 6 shows the luminous efficiency obtained while varying the total pressure of injected gas in experiment panels with a discharge space width D of 120 ⁇ m and a discharge space width D of 75 ⁇ m, and with an added amount of helium in the discharge gas of 30% and of 50%.
  • FIG. 6 is a characteristics diagram showing the results of the experiment, namely the relationship between total pressure and luminous efficiency. The luminous efficiency is shown as a relative efficiency, with the luminous efficiency when not adding helium being one for each cell size.
  • a total pressure of approximately 50 kPa acts as a border, with greater efficiency in a lower pressure region when helium is not added, and greater efficiency in a higher pressure region when helium is added.
  • FIG. 7 is a characteristics diagram showing the relationship between discharge space width and luminous efficiency for a PDP to which 30% helium is added and a PDP to which 50% helium is added.
  • the luminous efficiency is plotted as a relative efficiency, with the luminous efficiency when not adding helium being one for each discharge space width.
  • the results shown in FIG. 7 indicate that the increase in luminous efficiency due to the addition of helium strongly depends on the width of the discharge space. In other words, as the discharge space width grows narrower, the rise in the luminous efficiency due to the addition of helium grows more salient.
  • the luminous efficiency rises by 3% or more when the discharge space width D is in a range of 100 ⁇ m or less for a partial pressure ratio of helium of either 30% or 50%. Accordingly, it is clear that in a range of 100 ⁇ m or less for the discharge space width D, luminous efficiency increases by adding helium. By contrast, the results in FIG. 7 also show that when the discharge space width D exceeds 100 ⁇ m, luminous efficiency cannot be expected to improve much even when adding helium.
  • Patent Literature 2 the increase in efficiency due to the addition of helium is limited to a region in which the partial pressure ratio of xenon is extremely low. When the partial pressure ratio of xenon is 20%, the increase in efficiency due to addition of helium is 2% or less.
  • the results disclosed in Patent Literature 2 do not contradict the experimental results shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 . While not clearly stated in Patent Literature 2, the PDP used in Patent Literature 2 can be assumed to have a relatively large discharge space width.
  • the partial pressure ratio of xenon in the discharge gas is approximately 10%, and neon and helium are also added.
  • the luminous efficiency intrinsically lowers. Therefore, it would be difficult to obtain a brightness that is practical for televisions using the settings for the discharge gas disclosed in Patent Literature 2.
  • FIG. 8 is a characteristics diagram plotting the relationship between total pressure and self-sustaining discharge voltage for PDPs having a discharge space width D of 75 ⁇ m and 120 ⁇ m, and having no helium, helium at a partial pressure ratio of 30%, and helium at a partial pressure ratio of 50%.
  • FIG. 8 shows the dependency of self-sustaining discharge voltage on total pressure.
  • the degree of increase in the self-sustaining discharge voltage due to the addition of helium is larger when the discharge space width D is 120 ⁇ m. Whereas the difference is approximately 10 V for a discharge space width D of 75 ⁇ m at a total pressure of 60 kPa, which are settings used in the present embodiment, the difference is larger for a discharge space width D of 120 ⁇ m: 18 V.
  • a xenon atom Upon being bombarded by an electron, a xenon atom ionizes upon receiving 12.13 eV of energy from the electron, thus forming a xenon ion.
  • This reaction is referred to as a direct (collisional) ionization process and is expressed as follows.
  • Formula 3 Xenon atoms are crucial, since xenon atoms at the excitation level with the lowest energy (first excitation level) emit so-called resonance lines of ultraviolet light at 147 nm. Furthermore, xenon atoms can become an excimer and emit highly efficient light centering on wavelengths around 172 nm. Excimers are formed by a direct (collisional) excitation process.
  • xenon atoms have a higher ionization energy, 12.13 eV, and first excitation energy, approximately 8.4 eV, than mercury (ionization energy of 10.38 eV), which is often used in fluorescent lamps for ordinary lighting. In order to efficiently sustain plasma, therefore, electrons with high energy are necessary.
  • the discharge mechanism in a PDP is referred to as dielectric barrier discharge.
  • the dielectric layer 5 and the protective layer 6 are provided between the discharge electrode pair 4 and the discharge space, thus forming a current barrier. Discharge occurs over the following steps.
  • Electrons are greatly accelerated by the tip of the plasma where the electric field is concentrated, and ionization proceeds rapidly, resulting in growth of the plasma towards the cathode.
  • the ionization potential of helium is extremely high.
  • a high secondary electron emission coefficient can thus be expected when ions collide with the protective layer.
  • ions are easily accelerated at the cathode fall region and can arrive at the protective layer. In other words, abundant secondary electrons can be obtained with a lower ion current.
  • the power consumed during discharge can be considered substantially equal to the product of the voltage in the cathode fall region and the ion current. Reducing the ion current directly leads to a reduction in power consumption.
  • helium has a high ionization potential, making ionization difficult. Accordingly, increasing the partial pressure of helium requires an increase in the applied voltage to create helium ions. Since the plasma density and conductivity lower, however, the electric field strength inside the plasma increases, leading to a rise in electron temperature. As a result, the excitation efficiency of xenon increases, thus improving luminous efficiency.
  • the self-sustaining discharge voltage is approximately 190 V for a total pressure of 60 kPa in a PDP with a discharge space width D of 120 ⁇ m and no helium.
  • the discharge space width D is 75 ⁇ m
  • the self-sustaining discharge voltage is higher, reaching approximately 220 V.
  • the self-sustaining discharge voltage intrinsically rises. Since the field strength in the discharge space increases, however, helium easily ionizes, thus making it easy for helium ions to exist.
  • the luminous efficiency does not increase despite the addition of helium.
  • the reason is considered to be that the electric field in the discharge space is low, leading to insufficient helium ionization.
  • the minimum width of the discharge space was set to 75 ⁇ m. As described above, a greater effect can theoretically be expected with a smaller discharge space width.
  • the discharge space width for the smallest cell pitch that allows for stable formation of the discharge space is approximately 65 ⁇ m.
  • the above changes in the self-sustaining discharge voltage due to cell size and changes in behavior due to the discharge gas can be quantitatively grasped by actually making a test PDP and performing experiments.
  • the present inventors were the first in the world to make a prototype of an ultra-high-definition panel that allows for 4k2k resolution with a 50 inch screen size. By performing experiments, the present inventors discovered that conditions that allow for both high efficiency and long service life exist only in an extremely small discharge space having a width of 100 ⁇ m or less.
  • Components other than xenon, neon, and helium may be included in the discharge gas at a certain impurity level (approximately 10 ppm or less). Inclusion of other gas components at a higher level, however, is not preferable, since such inclusion leads to a rise in discharge voltage and a reduction of luminous efficiency.
  • molecular gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide may mix with the discharge gas, particularly during the regular exhaust and gas injection process. If such molecular gasses exist within the discharge gas, the vibrational/rotational level within the plasma is easily excited. As a result, the electron temperature drops dramatically, lowering the excitation efficiency of xenon.
  • noble gasses that are monatomic molecules (argon, krypton) have a lower ionization potential than neon and helium. Inclusion of these noble gasses thus lowers the ionization probability of neon and helium.
  • the secondary electron emission coefficient lowers, and the effect of improved discharge efficiency due to helium ions is reduced, thereby also leading to a rise in self-sustaining discharge voltage and a reduction in luminous efficiency.
  • the structure of the PDP in the present embodiment is similar to the PDP described in Embodiment 1.
  • the method of driving the PDP is the pure wave driving method.
  • FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration of a PDP 10 according to the present embodiment.
  • a plurality of display electrode pairs 24 each composed of a scan electrode 22 and a sustain electrode 23 are provided.
  • a dielectric layer 25 is provided covering the discharge electrode pairs 24 .
  • a protective layer 26 is further provided on the dielectric layer 25 .
  • Each scan electrode 22 has a transparent electrode 22 a
  • each sustain electrode 23 similarly has a transparent electrode 23 a .
  • Bus electrodes 22 b and 23 b are laminated on the transparent electrodes 22 a and 23 a.
  • a plurality of data electrodes 32 are provided, and a dielectric layer 33 is provided to cover the data electrodes 32 . Furthermore, barrier walls 34 in a grid pattern are provided on the dielectric layer 33 . On the lateral surface of each barrier wall 34 and on the dielectric layer 33 , a phosphor layer 35 emitting red, green, and blue light is provided.
  • the front substrate 21 and the back substrate 31 face each other with a minute discharge space therebetween, so that the display electrode pairs 24 are perpendicular to the data electrodes 32 .
  • the outer circumferential portion thereof is sealed with a sealing material such as glass frit.
  • a mixed discharge gas whose primary components are xenon, neon, and helium is injected into the discharge space.
  • the partial pressure ratio of xenon is 15% to 25% and the partial pressure ratio of helium is 20% to 50%.
  • the total pressure of the discharge gas is 60 kPa to 70 kPa.
  • the discharge space is divided into a plurality of sections by the barrier walls 34 , and discharge cells are formed at each intersection of the display electrode pairs 24 and the data electrodes 32 .
  • An image is displayed on the PDP 10 by discharge and light emission in these discharge cells.
  • the structure of the PDP 10 is not limited to the above structure.
  • the barrier walls may be provided in stripes.
  • FIG. 10 shows an arrangement of electrodes in the PDP 10 .
  • n scan electrodes SC 1 to SCn scan electrode 22 in FIG. 9
  • n sustain electrodes SU 1 to SUn scan electrode 23 in FIG. 9
  • m data electrodes D 1 to Dm data electrodes 32 in FIG. 9
  • the discharge space has m ⁇ n discharge cells formed therein.
  • n is 2160 in this embodiment.
  • the 2160 display electrode pairs composed of scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 and sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 are grouped into a plurality of display electrode pair groups.
  • the display electrode pairs are divided into two groups in an upper and a lower half of the PDP. The method of dividing display electrode pairs into groups is described below. As shown in FIG. 10 , the display electrode pairs in the upper half of the panel belong to a first display electrode pair group, and the display electrode pairs in the lower half of the panel belong to a second display electrode pair group.
  • 1080 scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 and 1080 sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belong to the first display electrode pair group
  • 1080 scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 and 1080 sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belong to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the timing of scan pulses and writing pulses is set so that, except for an initialization period, writing operations are performed continuously.
  • FIGS. 11A to 11D illustrate a method of setting a subfield structure in the plasma display device according to Embodiment 2.
  • scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 are shown on the vertical axis, and time is shown on the horizontal axis.
  • the timing of performing a writing operation is represented by a solid line, whereas the timing of a sustain period and an erase period is represented by hatching.
  • the time of one field period is 16.7 ms.
  • an initialization period in which initialization discharge is concurrently generated in all the discharge cells, is provided at the beginning of one field period.
  • the time required for the initialization period is assumed to be 500 ⁇ s.
  • the time Tw required for sequentially applying a scan pulse to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 is estimated.
  • the scan pulse be set as short as possible and be applied as consecutively as possible so that writing operations are continuous.
  • the number of discharge electrode pair groups is determined based on the necessary number of sustain pulses.
  • sustain pulses of “60,” “44,” “30,” “18,” “11,” “6,” “3,” “2,” “1,” and “1” are applied to each subfield.
  • the number N of display electrode pair groups is calculated based on the following expression, using the time Tw necessary for one writing operation over all of the scan electrodes and the maximum time Ts for applying a sustain pulse. N ⁇ Tw /( Tw ⁇ Ts )
  • the display electrode pairs provided throughout the panel are divided into two display electrode pair groups.
  • the scan electrodes belonging to the group are written to, and immediately after the writing period, a sustain period is provided to apply a sustain pulse.
  • N 2
  • Tw 1512 ⁇ s
  • the method of driving the PDP 10 and the number of display electrode pair groups can be determined as above.
  • both the sustain period and the erase period is shown by hatching with lines slanting from the upper right to the lower left.
  • the erase period is not taken into consideration in the above calculation. It is preferable, however, to set writing operations not to be performed if any of the display electrode pair groups is in an erase period. This is because an erase period is not only for erasing wall voltage but also for adjusting the wall voltage on the data electrodes in preparation for the writing operation in the subsequent writing period. It is therefore preferable that the voltage of the data electrode be fixed during the erase period.
  • FIG. 12 shows an example of a waveform of driving voltage applied to each electrode of the PDP 10 .
  • an initialization period in which initialization discharge is generated in all the discharge cells, is provided at the beginning of one field. Furthermore, an erase period for generating erase discharge in the discharge cells where discharge has been generated in the sustain period is provided after the sustain period of each subfield in each display electrode pair group.
  • FIG. 12 shows an initialization period, writing periods of SF 1 , SF 2 and SF 3 with regard to the first display electrode pair group, and writing periods of SF 1 and SF 2 with regard to the second display electrode pair group.
  • a voltage of 0 V is applied to each of the data electrodes D 1 to Dm and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 , and a ramp voltage that gently rises from voltage Vi 1 to voltage Vi 2 is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 . While the ramp voltage increases, a weak initialization discharge is generated between the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 on the one hand and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 and the data electrodes D 1 -Dm on the other.
  • a negative wall voltage accumulates on the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160
  • a positive wall voltage accumulates on the data electrodes D 1 to Dm and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160
  • the wall voltage that accumulates on the electrodes represents the voltage generated by the wall charges accumulated on the dielectric layer, the protective layer, the phosphor layer, and the like covering the electrodes. Note that during this period, a positive voltage Vd may be applied to the data electrodes D 1 to Dm.
  • a constant positive voltage Ve 1 is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 , and a ramp voltage that gradually decreases from a voltage V 13 to a voltage V 14 is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 .
  • a small initialization discharge is generated between the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 on the one hand and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 and the data electrodes D 1 to Dm on the other.
  • the negative wall voltage on the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 and the positive wall voltage on the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 are then lowered, and the positive wall voltage on the data electrodes D 1 to Dm is adjusted to a value appropriate for the writing operation.
  • a voltage Vc is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 .
  • the initialization discharge is thus generated in all of the discharge cells, thereby completing initialization.
  • a constant positive voltage Ve 2 is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • a scan pulse having a negative voltage Va is applied to the scan electrode SC 1
  • a scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode SC 2 in the second row, and a writing pulse is applied to the data electrodes Dk corresponding to the discharge cells in the second row that are to be caused to emit light. Consequently, a writing discharge is generated in the discharge cells in the second row to which the scan pulse and the writing pulse are concurrently applied, thus performing the writing operation.
  • the above writing operations are repeated until being performed in the discharge cells in the 1080 th row.
  • the writing discharge is selectively generated in the discharge cells to be caused to emit light so that wall charges are formed in the selected discharge cells.
  • This period serves as a pause period for SF 1 for the second display electrode pair group.
  • a voltage Vi 1 is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group, and a constant voltage Ve 2 is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 .
  • This pause period reduction in the wall charge can be suppressed by maintaining the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 1081 at as high an electric potential as possible without causing discharge, so that a stable writing operation can be performed in the next writing period.
  • the voltage applied to each electrode in the second display electrode pair group is not, however, limited to the above examples. A different voltage that does not produce discharge may be applied.
  • a constant positive voltage Ve 2 is continually applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 , as during writing for the first display electrode pair group.
  • a scan pulse is then applied to the scan electrode SC 1081 , and a writing pulse is applied to the data electrodes Dk corresponding to the discharge cells that are to be caused to emit light.
  • the above writing operations are repeated until being performed in the discharge cells in the 2160 th row.
  • the writing discharge is selectively generated in the discharge cells to be caused to emit light so that wall charges are formed in the selected discharge cells.
  • This period is an SF 1 sustain period for the first display electrode pair group.
  • a sustain pulse of “60” is alternately applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group, which causes the discharge cells in which writing discharge is generated to emit light.
  • a positive voltage Vs is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 , and a voltage of 0 V is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • a sustain pulse voltage Vs is added to the difference between the wall voltage on the scan electrode SCi and the wall voltage on the sustain electrode SUi, thus exceeding the breakdown voltage.
  • a sustain discharge is then generated between the scan electrode SCi and the sustain electrode SUi.
  • the ultraviolet light generated by the sustain discharge causes the phosphor layer 35 to emit light.
  • a negative wall voltage thus accumulates on the scan electrode SCi, and a positive wall voltage accumulates on the sustain electrode SUi.
  • a sustain discharge is not generated in the discharge cells in which a writing discharge is not generated in the writing period, and the wall voltage at the completion of the initialization period is maintained.
  • a voltage of 0 V is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 and a voltage Vs is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • the sustain discharge is thus generated again, negative wall voltages accumulate on the sustain electrode SUi, and positive wall voltages are accumulated on the scan electrode SCi.
  • a sustain pulse is then similarly applied alternately to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 , thereby providing a potential difference between the electrodes of the display electrode pair.
  • a sustain discharge is thus continually generated, thereby causing the discharge cells to emit light.
  • the sustain pulse alternately applied to the pair of display electrodes is timed so that the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 are simultaneously at high potential.
  • a positive voltage Vs is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 and a voltage of 0 V is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080
  • the voltage of the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 is first raised from 0 V to Vs. Subsequently, the voltage of the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 is lowered from Vs to 0 V.
  • sustain discharge can be maintained stably without being affected by writing pulses applied to the data electrodes. The reasons for this are described below.
  • the voltage of the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 is first lowered from Vs to 0 V, and subsequently that the voltage of the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 is raised from 0 V to Vs.
  • discharge may occur between the scan electrode and the data electrode at the point when the voltage of the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 becomes low.
  • this discharge may reduce the wall charge.
  • the voltage of the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 is first lowered from Vs to 0 V, and subsequently the voltage of the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 is raised from 0 V to Vs, then when a writing pulse is applied to the data electrode, discharge may occur between the sustain electrode and the data electrode at the point when the voltage of the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 becomes low.
  • this discharge may reduce the wall charge.
  • sustain discharge may not occur when the voltage of the other electrode is raised and a sustain pulse is applied. Even if the sustain discharge does occur, it may be weak, thus preventing maintenance of the sustain discharge due to an insufficient accumulation of wall charge.
  • Two erase periods and a pause period are provided after the sustain period.
  • a ramp voltage that rises towards the voltage Vr is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 , and the wall voltage on the scan electrode SCi and on the sustain electrode SUi is erased, while leaving the positive wall voltage on the data electrodes Dk.
  • a certain amount of time is necessary for such an erase operation.
  • An erase period is not only for erasing wall voltage but also for adjusting the wall voltage on the data electrodes in preparation for the writing operation in the subsequent writing period. It is therefore preferable that the voltage of the data electrode be fixed. Accordingly, in the driving voltage waveform in the present embodiment, the writing operation for the second display electrode pair group is suspended during the erase period of the first display electrode pair group.
  • the subsequent period is a pause period during which no discharge occurs in the first display electrode pair group.
  • a voltage Vet is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • Writing operations are resumed for the second display electrode pair group, and operations for the pause period for the first display electrode pair group are continued until writing is complete for the scan electrode SC 2160 .
  • the subsequent period is a latter erase period for the first display electrode pair group.
  • a ramp voltage that decreases towards a voltage V 14 is applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 , and the wall voltage on the data electrode is adjusted in preparation for the writing operation in the next writing period.
  • the writing period then immediately starts, with writing operations starting with the scan electrode SC 1 . Beginning the writing operations immediately after applying a ramp voltage that decreases towards the voltage V 14 suppresses a reduction in wall charge, thus allowing for stable writing operations during the subsequent writing period.
  • a constant voltage Ve 2 is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 . While consecutively applying a scan pulse to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 as in the SF 1 writing period, a writing pulse is applied to the data electrodes Dk to perform the writing operation in the discharge cells in rows 1 to 1080.
  • the second display electrode pair group is in the SF 1 sustain period.
  • a sustain pulse of “60” is alternately applied to the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 and the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 , thereby causing the discharge cells where the writing discharge occurs to emit light.
  • the erase periods and pause period follow the sustain period.
  • the SF 2 writing period for the second display electrode pair group, the SF 3 writing period for the first display electrode pair group, . . . , and the SF 10 writing period for the second display electrode pair group follow.
  • the sustain period and the erase period in SF 10 for the second display electrode pair group occur last, thus completing one field.
  • the timing of scan pulses and writing pulses is set so that writing operations are performed continuously in each of the display electrode pair groups.
  • ten subfields can be provided within the period of one field. This number of subfields is the maximum number that can be set within the period of one field in the present embodiment.
  • one field is completed with a sustain period and an erase period for the second display electrode pair group. Accordingly, driving time can be reduced by providing the subfield with the least luminance weight as the last subfield.
  • the voltage Vi 1 is 150 V
  • the voltage Vi 2 is 400 V
  • the voltage Vi 3 is 200 V
  • the voltage Vi 4 is ⁇ 150 V
  • the voltage Vc is ⁇ 10 V
  • the voltage Vb is 150 V
  • the voltage Va is ⁇ 160 V
  • the voltage Vs is 200 V
  • the voltage Vr is 200 V
  • the voltage Ve 1 is 140 V
  • the voltage Ve 2 is 150 V
  • the voltage Vd is 60 V.
  • the inclination of the rising ramp voltage applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 is 10 (V/ ⁇ s)
  • the inclination of the falling ramp voltage is ⁇ 2 (V/ ⁇ s).
  • the voltages and inclinations are not, however, limited to the above values. It is preferable for the voltages and inclinations to be set optimally based on the discharge properties of the pulse and on the specifications of the plasma display device.
  • the following describes an example of a drive circuit for a plasma display device that achieves the above driving waveform.
  • FIG. 13 is a circuit block diagram of a plasma display device 40 .
  • the plasma display device 40 includes a PDP 10 , an image signal processing circuit 41 , a data electrode driving circuit 42 , a scan electrode driving circuit 43 , a sustain electrode driving circuit 44 , a timing generation circuit 45 , and a power supply circuit (not shown in the figures) that supplies necessary power to each circuit block.
  • the image signal processing circuit 41 converts an image signal to image data showing whether each subfield emits light or not.
  • the data electrode driving circuit 42 includes m switches for applying a voltage Vd or voltage of 0 V to each of m data electrodes D 1 to Dm.
  • the data electrode driving circuit 42 converts image data outputted from the image signal processing circuit 41 into a writing pulse corresponding to the data electrodes D 1 to Dm and applies the writing pulse to the data electrodes D 1 to Dm.
  • the timing generation circuit 45 generates various types of timing signals for controlling the operations of the circuits based on a horizontal synchronization signal and a vertical synchronization signal, and supplies the timing signals to the circuits.
  • the scan electrode driving circuit 43 drives the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group and the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the sustain electrode driving circuit 44 drives the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group and the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram of the scan electrode driving circuit 43 in the plasma display device 40 .
  • the scan electrode driving circuit 43 includes a sustain pulse generator circuit 50 on the scan electrode side (hereinafter referred to simply as the “sustain pulse generator circuit 50 ”), a ramp generator circuit 60 , a scan pulse generator circuit 70 a , a scan pulse generator circuit 70 b , a switch circuit 75 a on the scan electrode side (hereinafter referred to simply as the “switch circuit 75 a ”), and a switch circuit 75 b on the scan electrode side (hereinafter referred to simply as the “switch circuit 75 b ”).
  • the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 includes a power recovery unit 51 and a voltage clamp unit 55 and generates the sustain pulses applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group and the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the power recovery unit 51 includes a capacitor C 51 for collecting power, switching elements Q 51 and Q 52 , backflow preventer diodes D 51 and D 52 , and resonance inductors L 51 and L 52 .
  • the power recovery unit 51 raises and lowers the sustain pulse via LC resonance between the inter-electrode capacitance of the pair of display electrodes and the inductors L 51 and L 52 .
  • the sustain pulse rises, the charge accumulated in the capacitor C 51 for collecting power is transferred to the inter-electrode capacitance via the switching element Q 51 , the diode D 51 , and the inductor L 51 .
  • the power recovery unit 51 When the sustain pulse falls, the charge accumulated in the inter-electrode capacitance returns to the capacitor C 51 for collecting power via the inductor L 52 , the diode D 52 , and the switching element Q 52 .
  • the power recovery unit 51 thus raises and lowers the sustain pulse by LC resonance without receiving a supply of power from the power source. The power consumption is therefore close to zero.
  • the capacitor C 51 for collecting power has a sufficiently large capacity compared with the inter-electrode capacitance and is charged at approximately Vs/2, i.e. half of the voltage Vs, to work as the power supply for the power recovery unit 51 .
  • the voltage clamp unit 55 includes switching devices Q 55 and Q 56 .
  • the switching device Q 55 By setting the switching device Q 55 on, the output voltage of the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 (the voltage at the node C in FIG. 14 ) is clamped at voltage Vs.
  • the switching device Q 56 By setting the switching device Q 56 on, the output voltage of the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 is clamped at a voltage of 0 V. This allows a stable flow of a large discharge current utilizing the sustain discharge, while reducing impedance during voltage application by the voltage clamp unit 550 .
  • the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 generates a sustain pulse by controlling the switching devices Q 51 , Q 52 , Q 55 , and Q 56 . While these switching devices may be made with use of well-known devices such as MOSFETs or IGBTs, the circuit structure shown in FIG. 14 uses IGBTs for the switching devices. When IGBTs are used as the switching devices Q 55 and Q 56 , it is necessary to secure a current path extending in an opposite direction to the current that is controlled. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 14 , the diode D 55 is connected in parallel with the switching device Q 55 , and the diode D 56 is connected in parallel with the switching device Q 56 . Although not shown in FIG. 14 , a diode may be connected in parallel with each of the switching device Q 51 and the switching device Q 52 for the purpose of protection of the IGBTs.
  • a switching device Q 59 is a separation switch provided for preventing a current from flowing back from the ramp generator circuit 60 , which is described below, towards the voltage Vs via the diode D 55 when the voltage level at the node C is increased to a higher value than Vs, for example Vi 2 , in an initialization period.
  • the ramp generator circuit 60 includes two mirror integration circuits 61 and 62 .
  • the mirror integration circuit 61 causes the output voltage from the ramp generator circuit 60 (i.e. a voltage level at node C of FIG. 13 ) to increase with a gentle slope to voltage Vt.
  • the mirror integration circuit 62 causes the output voltage from the ramp generator circuit 60 to increase with a gentle slope to voltage Vr.
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 70 a includes a power source E 71 a of voltage Vp, a mirror integration circuit 71 a , switching devices Q 71 H 1 to Q 71 H 1080 , and switching devices Q 71 L 1 to Q 71 L 1080 .
  • the mirror integration circuit 71 a causes a lower-side voltage of the power source E 71 a (i.e. a voltage level at a node A of FIG. 14 ) to decrease with a gentle slope to voltage Va.
  • the mirror integration circuit 71 a also clamps the lower-side voltage of the power source E 71 a to the voltage Va.
  • Each of the switching devices Q 71 L 1 to Q 71 L 1080 applies the lower-side voltage of the power source E 71 a to a corresponding one of the scan electrodes.
  • Each of the switching devices Q 71 H 1 to Q 71 H 1080 applies a higher-side voltage of the power source E 71 a to a corresponding one of the scan electrodes.
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 70 b has a similar configuration to the scan pulse generator circuit 70 a , and includes a power source E 71 b of the voltage Vp, a mirror integration circuit 71 b , switching devices Q 71 H 1081 to Q 71 H 2160 , and switching devices Q 71 L 1081 to Q 71 L 2160 .
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 70 b also applies a higher-side voltage or a lower-side voltage of the power source E 71 b to the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the switch circuit 75 a includes a switching device Q 76 a and electrically connects or separates the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 and the ramp generator circuit 60 to/from the scan pulse generator circuit 70 a .
  • the switch circuit 75 b includes a switching device Q 76 b , and electrically connects or separates the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 and the ramp generator circuit 60 to/from the scan pulse generator circuit 70 b.
  • Using the above-described scan electrode driving circuit 43 allows for application of drive waveforms shown in FIG. 12 to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group and the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the switching devices Q 76 a and Q 76 b are on, whereas in the scan pulse generator circuits 70 a and 70 b , the switching devices Q 71 H 1 to Q 71 H 2160 are on, and the switching devices Q 71 L 1 to Q 71 L 2160 are off. Voltage obtained by adding the voltage Vp to an output from the ramp generator circuit 60 is thus applied simultaneously to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 .
  • the switching devices Q 76 a and Q 76 b are turned off, whereas in the scan pulse generator circuits 70 a and 70 b , the switching devices Q 71 H 1 to Q 71 H 2160 are turned off, and the switching devices Q 71 L 1 to Q 71 L 2160 are turned on.
  • the minor integration circuits 71 a and 71 b are then turned on. Ramp voltage falling to voltage V 14 is thus applied simultaneously to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 .
  • the switching devices Q 71 L 1 to Q 71 L 2160 are turned off, and the switching devices Q 71 H 1 to Q 71 H 2160 are turned on, so that voltage Vc is applied simultaneously to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 .
  • the switching device Q 76 a included in the switch circuit 75 a is off, and the mirror integration circuit 71 a is on.
  • each of switching devices Q 71 Hn and Q 71 Ln is turned on and off. Scan pulses are thus applied to the corresponding scan electrodes SCn.
  • the above method is also applied to a writing period of the second display electrode pair group, so that scan pulses are applied to the corresponding scan electrodes SCn.
  • the switching device Q 76 a is on, whereas in the scan pulse generator circuit 70 a , the switching devices Q 71 H 1 to Q 71 H 1080 are off, and the switching devices Q 71 L 1 to Q 71 L 1080 are on. Output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 is thus applied to the first display electrode pair group of switching devices SC 1 to SC 1080 .
  • the second display electrode pair group is in a writing period. Accordingly, the switching device Q 76 b included in the switch circuit 75 b is off.
  • output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 50 does not have any effect on the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the switching device Q 76 a included in the switch circuit 75 a is off. Therefore, output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 500 does not have any effect on the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group.
  • the switching device Q 76 a is on, whereas in the scan pulse generator circuit 700 a , the switching devices Q 71 H 1 to Q 71 H 1080 are off, and the switching devices Q 71 L 1 to Q 71 L 1080 are on. Output from the ramp generator circuit 600 is thus applied to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 .
  • the second display electrode pair group is in a writing period (more precisely, the writing action is interrupted), and the switching device Q 76 b in the switch circuit 75 b is off.
  • output voltage from the ramp generator circuit 60 does not have any effect on the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram of the sustain electrode driving circuit 44 in the plasma display device 40 .
  • the sustain electrode driving circuit 44 includes a sustain pulse generator circuit 80 on the sustain electrode side (hereinafter referred to simply as the “sustain pulse generator circuit 80 ”), a fixed voltage generator circuit 90 a , a fixed voltage generator circuit 90 b , a switch circuit 100 a on the sustain electrode side (hereinafter referred to simply as the “switch circuit 100 a ”), and a switch circuit 100 b on the sustain electrode side (hereinafter referred to simply as the “switch circuit 100 b ”).
  • the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 includes a power recovery unit 81 and a voltage clamp unit 85 and generates sustain pulses to be applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group and the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the power recovery unit 81 includes a capacitor C 81 for collecting power, switching elements Q 81 and Q 82 , backflow preventer diodes D 81 and D 82 , and resonance inductors L 81 and L 82 . Like the power recovery unit 51 , the power recovery unit 81 raises and lowers the sustain pulse via LC resonance between the inter-electrode capacitance of the pair of display electrodes and the inductors L 81 and L 82 .
  • the voltage clamp unit 85 includes switching devices Q 85 and Q 86 , and like the voltage clamp unit 55 , clamps an output voltage from the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 (i.e. a voltage level at a node D of FIG. 14 ) to the voltage Vs or a voltage of 0 V.
  • the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 a includes switching devices Q 91 a , Q 92 a , Q 93 a , and Q 94 a .
  • the switching device Q 93 a and the switching device Q 94 a are connected in series to form a bi-directional switch such that the devices Q 93 a and Q 94 a control currents flowing in opposite directions.
  • a fixed voltage Ve 1 is applied via the switching devices Q 91 a , Q 93 a , and Q 94 a
  • a fixed voltage Ve 2 is applied via the switching devices Q 92 a , Q 93 a , and Q 94 a.
  • the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 b has a similar structure to the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 a , and includes switching devices Q 91 b , Q 92 b , Q 93 b , and Q 94 b .
  • the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 b applies the fixed voltage Ve 1 or the fixed voltage Ve 2 to the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the circuit structure shown in FIG. 15 uses IGBTs for the switching devices. IGBTs are used as the switching devices Q 94 a and Q 94 b . In order to secure a current path extending in an opposite direction to a current that is controlled, a diode D 94 a is connected in parallel with the switching device Q 94 a , and a diode D 94 b is connected in parallel with the switching device Q 94 b.
  • the switching device Q 94 a is provided for supplying a current in a direction from the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 towards the power source of voltages Ve 1 and Ve 2 .
  • the switching device Q 94 a may be omitted in a case where a current is supplied only from the power source of voltages Ve 1 and Ve 2 towards the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • a capacitor C 93 a is connected between the gate and the drain of the switching device Q 93 a
  • a capacitor C 93 b is connected between the gate and the drain of the switching device Q 93 b .
  • the capacitors C 93 a and C 93 b are provided merely for smoothing a rising edge of a voltage waveform at the time of application of voltages Ve 1 and Ve 2 and are not essential components. In particular, when voltages Ve 1 and Ve 2 are varied step by step, the capacitors C 93 a and C 93 b are not required.
  • the switch circuit 100 a includes switching devices Q 101 a and Q 102 a that are connected in series to form a bi-directional switch such that the devices Q 101 a and Q 102 a control currents flowing in opposite directions.
  • the switch circuit 100 a electrically connects or separates the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 to/from the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group.
  • the switch circuit 100 b includes switching devices Q 101 b and Q 102 b that are connected in series to form a bi-directional switch such that the devices Q 101 b and Q 102 b control currents flowing in opposite directions.
  • the switch circuit 100 b electrically connects or separates the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 to/from the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • sustain electrode driving circuit 44 allows for application of the drive waveforms shown in FIG. 12 to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group and the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the switching devices Q 101 a , Q 102 a , Q 101 b , and Q 102 b are on, and an output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 is set to 0 V. A voltage of 0 V is thus applied simultaneously to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 .
  • the switching devices Q 101 a , Q 101 b , Q 102 a , and Q 102 b are off, whereas in the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 a and 90 b , the switching devices Q 91 a , Q 91 b , Q 93 a , Q 93 b , Q 94 a , and Q 94 b are on.
  • the voltage Ve 1 is thus applied simultaneously to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 .
  • the switching devices Q 91 a and Q 91 b are off, and the switching devices Q 92 a and Q 92 b are on, so that the voltage Ve 2 is output.
  • the switching devices Q 101 a and Q 102 a are on, whereas in the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 a , the switching devices Q 930 a and Q 940 a are off.
  • the sustain pulse output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 is thus applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • the second display electrode pair group is in the writing period.
  • the switching devices Q 101 b and Q 102 b included in the switch circuit 100 b are off. Therefore, output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 800 does not have any effect on the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 .
  • the switching devices Q 101 b and Q 102 b included in the switch circuit 100 b are on, whereas the switching devices Q 93 b and Q 94 b included in the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 b are off.
  • a sustain pulse output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 is thus applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 .
  • the first display electrode pair group is in a writing period.
  • the switching devices Q 101 a and Q 102 a included in the switch circuit 100 a are off. Therefore, output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 does not have any effect on the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • a voltage of 0 V is output from the sustain pulse generator circuit 80 .
  • the switching devices Q 101 a and Q 102 a included in the switch circuit 100 a are turned off, and the switching devices Q 91 a , Q 93 a , and Q 94 a included in the fixed voltage 90 a are turned on, so that the voltage Ve 1 is applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • the switching device Q 91 a is turned off, and the switching device Q 92 a is turned on.
  • the voltage Ve 2 is thus applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 .
  • the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group are not affected at all.
  • the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group are in an erase period and a pause period, and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group are in a writing period
  • voltage applied to the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 does not affect the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 at all.
  • the PDP 10 is high-definition and has a narrow cell pitch. As described in Embodiment 1, setting the composition of the discharge gas and each partial pressure therein allows for efficient luminous display.
  • the present embodiment adopts pure wave driving, thus lengthening the discharge sustain period that can be guaranteed for one field and improving emission luminance.
  • the display device of the present embodiment thus compensates for the decrease in emission luminance in high-definition PDPs via a driving method that offers improved luminance, thereby achieving a high-definition display device with high luminous efficiency and brightness.
  • the subfield structure may contain several subfields according to a writing/sustain separation method that uses a uniform phase in the sustain period for all the discharge cells.
  • the power recovery unit 51 shown in FIG. 14 is configured to transfer, at a rising edge of the sustain pulse, the charge accumulated in the capacitor C 51 to the inter-electrode capacitance via the switching device Q 51 , the diode D 51 , the inductor L 51 , and the switching device Q 59 , and to return, at a falling edge of the sustain pulse, the charge accumulated in the inter-electrode capacitance to the capacitor C 51 via the inductor L 52 , the diode D 52 , and the switching device Q 52 .
  • the inductor L 51 may be connected at one terminal to the node C instead of the source of the switching device Q 59 .
  • the charge accumulated in the capacitor C 51 is transferred to the inter-electrode capacitance via the switching device Q 51 , the diode D 51 , and the inductor L 51 .
  • a circuit configuration in which only one inductor doubles as the inductor L 51 and the inductor L 52 may be adopted.
  • the ramp generator circuit 60 shown in FIG. 14 includes two mirror integration circuits 61 and 62 , a circuit configuration in which the ramp generator circuit 60 includes one voltage switch circuit and one mirror integration circuit may be adopted.
  • the capacitor C 51 included in the power recovery unit 51 shown in FIG. 14 and the whole power recovery unit 81 shown in FIG. 15 may be omitted.
  • the node D of FIG. 15 would be connected to connection points of the switching devices Q 51 and Q 52 of FIG. 14 .
  • a circuit configuration may be adopted wherein the whole power recovery unit 51 shown in FIG. 14 and the capacitor C 81 included in the power recovery unit 81 shown in FIG. 15 are omitted. In this case, the node C would be connected to connection points of the switching devices Q 81 and Q 82 of FIG. 15 .
  • the number of pairs of display electrodes in FIG. 10 is 2160 , and the display electrode pairs are divided into two groups.
  • the number of the display electrode pairs may be 4320 .
  • the data electrodes D 1 to Dm are configured to intersect with the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 .
  • Other data electrodes Dm+1 to D 2 m may also be configured to intersect with scan electrodes SC 2161 to SC 4320 and sustain electrodes SU 2161 to SU 4320 . Dual scan may be adopted to drive this PDP as well by a similar method as described above.
  • the 4320 pairs of display electrodes provided in the PDP 101 may be divided into an upper half and a lower half.
  • the first display electrode pair group is formed by the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080
  • the second display electrode pair group is formed by the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 and the sustain electrode SU 1081 to SU 2160 .
  • the data electrodes D 1 to Dm intersect with these first and second display electrode pair groups.
  • the first display electrode pair group is formed by the scan electrodes SC 2161 to SC 3240 and the sustain electrodes SU 2161 to SU 3240
  • the second display electrode pair group is formed by the scan electrodes SC 3241 to SC 4320 and the sustain electrode SU 3241 to SU 4320 .
  • the data electrodes Dm+1 to D 2 m intersect with these first and second display electrode pair groups.
  • the data electrodes D 1 to Dm intersect only with the display electrode pair groups composed of the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 in the upper half Therefore, the data electrodes D 1 to Dm are not affected at all by any operation performed by the scan electrodes SC 2161 to SC 4320 and the sustain electrodes SU 2161 to SU 4320 .
  • the data electrodes Dm+1 to D 2 m only intersect with the display electrode pair groups in the lower half and therefore are not affected at all by the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 2160 and the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 2160 .
  • FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of a scan electrode driving circuit 431 for driving the scan electrodes included in the panel shown in FIG. 16 .
  • the scan electrode driving circuit 431 differs from the scan electrode driving circuit 43 in the following two points.
  • a scan pulse generator circuit 70 e additionally includes switching devices Q 71 H 2161 to Q 71 H 3240 and Q 71 L 2161 to Q 71 L 3240 provided for driving the scan electrodes SC 2161 to SC 3240 .
  • a scan pulse generator circuit 70 f additionally includes switching devices Q 71 H 3241 to Q 71 H 4320 and Q 71 L 3241 to Q 71 L 4320 provided for driving the scan electrodes SC 3241 to SC 4320 .
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 50 and the ramp generator circuit 60 have similar configurations.
  • Using the above-described scan electrode drive circuit enables a writing pulse to be applied to the scan electrode SC 2161 simultaneously with application of a writing pulse to the scan electrode SC 1 in a writing period of the first display electrode pair group.
  • a writing pulse is applied to the scan electrode SC 3241 simultaneously with application of a writing pulse to the scan electrode SC 1081 .
  • the sustain electrode driving circuit would have a similar configuration. Specifically, the sustain electrodes SU 2161 to SU 3240 would be additionally connected to the sustain electrode drive circuit connected to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 , and the sustain electrodes SU 3241 to SU 4320 would be additionally connected to the circuit connected to the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 .
  • the number N of display electrode pair groups is two, this number may be set larger.
  • FIG. 18 shows an arrangement of electrodes in a PDP 102 .
  • the number of display electrode pairs is 4320, which are divided into four display electrode pair groups. Furthermore, m data electrodes are provided so as to intersect all of the display electrode pairs.
  • the number N of groups of display electrode pairs is two, whereas this number is increased to four in the present example. The value of Tw ⁇ (N ⁇ 1)/N thus increases.
  • the PDP 102 unlike the PDP 101 , writing operations cannot be performed in the upper half and the lower half of the panel simultaneously. Since the number N of groups of display electrode pairs is large, however, the maximum time Ts allotted for the sustain period may be set to a larger value.
  • the emission luminance can be increased by increasing the number of sustain pulses applied to the display electrode pairs during the sustain period.
  • FIG. 19 is a circuit diagram of a scan electrode driving circuit 432 for driving the PDP 102 . Since the PDP 102 has four display electrode pair groups, the scan electrode driving circuit 432 is provided with switch circuits 75 a , 75 b , 75 c , and 75 d and with scan pulse generator circuits 70 a , 70 b , 70 c , and 70 d.
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 70 a is connected to the scan electrodes SC 1 to SC 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group.
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 70 b is connected to the scan electrodes SC 1081 to SC 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 70 c is connected to the scan electrodes SC 2161 to SC 3240 belonging to the third display electrode pair group.
  • the scan pulse generator circuit 70 d is connected to the scan electrodes SC 3241 to SC 4320 belonging to the fourth display electrode pair group. Operations are performed while shifting the sustain periods by display electrode pair group in the same way as described above with reference to FIG. 11 . In other words, for each of the four display electrode pair groups, the scan electrodes belonging to the group are written to, and immediately after the writing period, a sustain period is provided to apply a sustain pulse.
  • FIG. 20 is a circuit diagram of a sustain electrode driving circuit 442 for driving the panel shown in FIG. 18 . Since the PDP 102 has four display electrode pair groups, the sustain electrode driving circuit 442 is provided with four switch circuits 100 a , 100 b , 100 c , and 100 d and with fixed voltage generator circuits 90 a , 90 b , 90 c , and 90 d.
  • the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 a is connected to the sustain electrodes SU 1 to SU 1080 belonging to the first display electrode pair group and performs operations similar to those described above.
  • the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 b is connected to the sustain electrodes SU 1081 to SU 2160 belonging to the second display electrode pair group.
  • the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 c is connected to the sustain electrodes SU 2161 to SU 3240 belonging to the third display electrode pair group.
  • the fixed voltage generator circuit 90 d is connected to the sustain electrodes SU 3241 to SU 4320 belonging to the fourth display electrode pair group. All of these circuits also perform operations similar to those described above.
  • the display electrode pairs belonging to all of the display electrode pair groups can be driven by adding switch circuits 75 a to 75 n and scan pulse generator circuits 70 a to 70 n to the circuits shown in FIG. 19 and adding switch circuits 100 a to 100 n and fixed voltage generator circuits 90 a to 90 n to the circuits shown in FIG. 20 .
  • the number of display electrode pairs in the PDP has been described as being set to 2160 or higher.
  • the present invention may be adopted, however, to achieve similar advantageous effects in a PDP with fewer pairs, i.e. a PDP with SD, HD, or FHD resolution.
  • the present invention achieves a high luminous efficiency particularly in ultra-high-definition PDPs and is therefore applicable to display devices for video display.

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US20060138959A1 (en) * 2002-09-27 2006-06-29 Laurent Tessier Plasma display panel having coplanar eletrodes with constant width
JP2007249227A (ja) 2007-05-14 2007-09-27 Hitachi Ltd プラズマディスプレイパネル及びそれを用いた画像表示装置
JP2007294360A (ja) 2006-04-27 2007-11-08 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd プラズマディスプレイパネルおよびプラズマディスプレイパネル装置
JP2009277492A (ja) 2008-05-14 2009-11-26 Panasonic Corp プラズマディスプレイパネル

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JPH09244578A (ja) 1996-03-13 1997-09-19 Fujitsu Ltd プラズマ表示装置及びその駆動方法
US20010015621A1 (en) 2000-01-12 2001-08-23 Sony Corporation Alternating current driven type plasma display device
JP2002083543A (ja) 2000-01-12 2002-03-22 Sony Corp 交流駆動型プラズマ表示装置
JP2001265281A (ja) 2000-03-17 2001-09-28 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 表示装置およびその駆動方法
US20030085649A1 (en) * 2001-07-23 2003-05-08 Asahi Glass Company, Limited Flat display panel
JP2003346660A (ja) 2002-05-27 2003-12-05 Hitachi Ltd プラズマディスプレイパネル及びそれを用いた画像表示装置
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